Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

We Love New York in June!

Last week Natalie and I visited my sister Leah (aka Sissy) in New York.  It was our first mother/daughter travel adventure and we had a fantastic time.

Natalie caused quite a sensation as she rode her Melissa and Doug "Trunkie"(a combo luggage/scooter)  through the airport.  She calls it her briefcase.
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When we reached the Chicago Airport we discovered a wonderful Children's Museum that Natalie enjoyed exploring during our short layover there.
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Her favorite part was flying the plane.  She looked so professional as she flipped the switches and turned the control dials.
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Happy pilot!
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Finally we made it to NY and took a nice walk with Sissy.
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The next day was a day of rest.  Our only outing was to walk the dog.  Natalie and I were both recovering from a bad summer cold.
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On Tuesday I took Natalie to the Brooklyn's Children Museum where she had a blast playing musical instruments, crawling through tunnels, and playing with elaborate sand and water tables in their toddler play area.  She also enjoyed playing with these giant lego-like blocks.
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Her very favorite part was the food area.  First she went "shopping" for life-like fruits and vegetables.
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Then she made pizza and cooked it in a pretend oven.
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Natalie helped flap my wings while I was playing the part of a giant butterfly.
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She drove a bus and directed me to sit down in one of the seats and put my seatbelt on.
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We discovered this beautiful mural while walking Stella, Sissy's dog.
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On Wednesday we took a trip into Manhattan (The below pic was taken on the way to the subway in Brooklyn)
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We visited the Museum of Natural History which Leah and I both saw as children.
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One of my favorite things about this museum is the 94 foot long replica of a Blue Whale (this photo does not do it justice).  Natalie was unimpressed; she was more excited about the Elephants and Zebras.
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In the Subway station about to head to Sissy's house.
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Natalie and I were zombies by the time we got on the subway.  Nat fell asleep and I carried her all the way home.
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After her nap Natalie was ready to play with her princesses again.  Stella kept her company.
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On Thursday we visited my very dear friends in Long Island.  Natalie had a wonderful time playing with A (age 5) and S (age 9).  They took amazing care of her and are 2 of the sweetest girls ever!
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Nat and A strolling with their dollies.
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On Saturday we said goodbye to Sissy, Stella and New York.
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During our visit Natalie did get homesick at times for her Daddy, Louie, Katie, her bed, dress up dresses and our bathmat of all things, but once we got home she asked when we could go back to NY :)

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Vacation Day 8: Wine Country, The Sonoma Valley

On our way back to San Francisco we drove through the Sonoma Valley and were treated to beautiful scenery of rolling hills and vineyards.
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Along the way we stopped at a couple of vineyards for wine tastings...a delicious end to a wonderful vacation.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Vacation Day 7: A Morning at Crater Lake

Before heading back to California we got up early to watch the sunrise over Crater Lake.
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As the sun rose higher in the sky the blue water of Crater Lake was slowly revealed.
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After viewing the sunrise we drove the 33 mile road that circles the lake stopping at several points along the way.

The first stop was Discovery Point where the sign was still coated with a bit of snow. The snow will start falling in ernest within the next couple of weeks. Crater Lake gets over 500" each year.
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Wizard Island from Discovery Point
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Wizard Island is an old volcanic cinder cone
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Wildflowers with Crater Lake in the background
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Yes, the water really is THAT blue!! Is has visibility of 140 feet.
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Clark's Nutcracker
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A Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel surveys the lake.
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Our final glimpses of stunning Crater Lake
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